The National Center for Time and Learning released a exploratory study this week on the possible link to increased achievement. While the study found 6th, 7th, 8th, and 10th graders in expanded-time schools outscored other students by 3 to 8 percentage points, the same pattern did not hold true among students in grades 3, 4, and 5.

The study’s data is neither complete or representative enough to support a conclusion that more school time yields better student achievement. Studies like these focus on the quantity of teaching and increased achievement, but not the quality of the actual teaching.

No one questions that excellent instruction is the key to student learning. The question we ask at the Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) is: What skills will enable school leaders to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all students? It is for this reason that CEL’s research-based 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning (5D) is comprised of the core elements of what constitutes good teaching.

A few years ago, my colleague and I created a “how to” literacy book for parents of emergent readers. Bonding While Learning helps parents think beyond “workbooks” and discover how nurturing lifelong readers and writers can be done in the everyday moments of life.

Our book has gotten rave reviews from parents, grandparents and educators alike. Now, we’ve made the entire book available for free online reading!

Learn from nationally-acclaimed author and literacy coach Katherine Casey about the evolving role of coaching in improving classroom practice. This includes how to help teachers make data-driven decisions based on evidence of student learning. This two-day interactive session is designed to deepen educators’ understanding of how the complex challenges around instructional improvement can be addressed through site-embedded professional development.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Participants will:

Discuss what research reveals about how people learn

Learn about models of coaching practice and deepen coaching conversations

Analyze assessment data to inform teaching decisions

Describe the role of school and district leaders in supporting the work of coaching

Create professional development implications for coaching practice at your site

This session is open to practitioners from all grade levels and content areas. We strongly encourage participants to attend with colleagues who can help them transfer the work to their particular contexts. Many participants value the opportunity to collaborate with a site- or district-based team (e.g. a principal and a coach from the same school, or a group of district literacy coaches and their supervisor). All individuals are welcome, regardless of experience.

I’m proud to announce that the University of Washington’s College of Education is offering an online course designed for literacy coaches and other instructional leaders to equip them in determining the professional learning focus for schools and districts. For only $80, this online course can be taken anytime, anywhere!

Learn how to improve the quality of instruction in your school and district! Join nationally-acclaimed author and instructional leader, Katherine Casey, and study essential coaching strategies to empower your leadership. Broaden your knowledge and expertise to craft an action plan for more effective professional learning.

For more information about this exciting “do at your own pace” course,CLICK HERE.

I just returned from a visit to Boston where I was able to catch up with colleagues and friends. During my visit, I got to chat with Irene Fountas (of “Fountas of Pinnell”) and we talked about Interactive Writing and its profound impact on K-2 students’ literacy development.

In case you didn’t know, interactive writing was developed by educators at The Ohio State University (where Gay Su Pinnell is on faculty). Unlike shared writing in which students compose messages and the teacher acts as a scribe, interactive writing involves a “sharing of the pen” (as illustrated in the image above) between teacher and students. The interactive writing process focuses students’ attention on:

concepts and conventions of print

the sounds in words

how those sounds connect with letters

Unlike the traditional “morning message,” students are involved in the planning and construction of text, and, to the greatest degree possible, students control the pen for the writing of the text. Moreover, interactive writing builds students’ confidence and experience with writing because they are equipped with a variety of encoding strategies. When I shared with Irene my plans to introduce interactive writing as a component of a public school district’s kindergarten literacy intervention program, she exclaimed, “I COMPLETELY AGREE!”

I asked Irene if she knew of any recent studies on the impact of interactive writing, but all we could locate was Sharon Craig’s 2003 study published by The Reading Teacher. It’s an impressive small-scale study, but we both wish more robust research was done around it since so many students have thrived from this daily practice. If you know of any recent studies, please let me know!

Children’s book author and illustrator, Eric Carle, turns 80 this year! And his book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, turns 40! Not only does this classic text stir nostalgia of my own childhood, it stirs my excitement around author studies–the up-close study with children about writer’s and illustrator’s craft.

It’s been a while since my last post–I’ve been busy closing up the school year as well as planning events and producing online courses for the University of Washington (more on that in a future post). Having just hosted a Summer Coaching Institute in Seattle, my online coaching friends (pictured on the right) have urged me to get back on the blog-wagon (thanks Laura, Amy, and Rachel)!

With that said, last week was a powerful time of learning with and from coaches from across the country. My colleague, Katherine Casey, shared her wisdom and expertise around literacy coaching, including practical advice for day-to-day work. Here’s one of many tidbits she shared on being an effective literacy coach: staying organized!

Expert coaching stems from ongoing evaluation and strategic decision-making centered on teacher and student learning. This work is far more manageable when we know where to find the information we’re looking for. Whether you keep a coaching binder or an electronic folder on your computer, here are some things you can organize your work around:

After I demonstrate or side-by-side teach a lesson, I collect and save samples of student writing for the following reasons:

1) To archive, assess, and plan around student learning;

2) To gather student “mentor texts” for future teaching;

3) To collect student data for future planning around teacher professional learning.

In order to stay organized and share best practices with teachers, I keep a digital camera with me at all times so I can capture images of anchor charts and student writing samples in the event that I don’t have time to make copies.